An EfM thing

Last night during EfM, the concept of redemption, salvation & reconciliation arose. Ever the contrarian, I offered my position from a Universalist perspective. A group member and close friend, who is almost a literalist when discussing matters of Holy Scripture took a rather opposite position. I received the following from him this morning and offer my reply.

God spake these words, and said:
I am the Lord thy God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods but me.

Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Book of Common Prayer
page 317

To me this is enough for me to believe that I Am is the same God to both
Hebrew ( Jews ) and to Christians. ( Episcopalians )

What say ye?

Xxxx

Xxxx, in reply to your email:

I ABSOLUTELY agree.

My position; however, is that "I Am" is “I Am” to more than just Christians and Jews.

On a strictly personal basis (an "I" Statement, if you will), it comes from my belief that “He” who created, loved His creation, pronounced it good and to reconcile that creation totally, chose to “become incarnate &/or send the Son” that His creation might again become one with Him.

I believe (another “I” statement) that in creating mankind with free will (which I see as a necessary absolute if we are to love Him) His love is infinite and His desire and objective is total reconciliation of that which He had already pronounced “GOOD”.

AND… that’s where I can become comfortable and rest in the mystery. Certainly I don’t possess any special knowledge or understanding though I enjoy considering and theorizing what might or might not be; but, it’s only theorizing from a place of VERY LIMITED understanding of that which is far beyond our comprehension.

In summation, I DO firmly believe that salvation comes through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. However, how “I Am” ultimately chooses to effect that salvation is way beyond my pay grade, so I’m content in knowing and believing in my redemption and holding a personal belief that the God I know, the God of love, will in His own time and manner return ALL things to Himself.

Regarding Universal Reconciliation

Though I hate “proof texting” for it always takes things out of context, the following are a couple of sites from the web which one might consider in partial validation of Universal Reconciliation; which is not to say that I am right, but simply offer some measure of support to my position. Again, we can find all sorts of thoughts and beliefs in Scripture to lead us in any direction we desire; but, ultimately it boils down to a personal understanding (and mine alone) of my relationship with Him and I choose a God of love over One seeking justice or demanding obedience.

http://www.godsplanforall.com/universalreconciliationscriptures

http://www.city-data.com/forum/christianity/1300999-nice-compendium-all-verses-supporting-universal.html

Peace & grace, y'all